Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

" M arina! Make haste, or we shall be exceptionally late!"

Phillip, Olivia, and Lord Linfield stood together at the foot of the stairs, waiting anxiously for Marina to descend. It was the night of the last ball of the season, and she was acting as Olivia's chaperone in her father's stead for the night as he was headed out for other affairs. She had expressed to Phillip, many times, that she was exceedingly nervous about attending. It was their first ball together since they'd been married. He had assured her that it would go smoothly, but she could not shake the feeling that something was bound to go wrong.

Part of his inability to reassure her had to do with the creeping suspicions his uncle had planted in her mind. Although things had improved between the Haywards since their adventure with the stray horse, Phillip's schedule had become increasingly erratic over the past couple of days. His absence and unpredictability had watered and nurtured those seeds, and they were now budding into a small but vibrant garden. Her stomach churned at the idea of discovering a secret or happening upon a secretly exchanged glance between Phillip and another woman. She tried to tell herself that the more she anticipated it, the more likely it was to happen, but this only made things worse.

At last, she came down the stairs wearing a simple periwinkle gown with lavender embellishments and white satin gloves. Her hair was pinned up, elegantly, and Phillip thought she shone just as brightly as the night they met. He wondered, idly, why it had not occurred to him before that taking her to more balls would mean seeing her like this more often. She was always breathtaking, but there was just something about a ball gown that truly complimented her soft, romantic features.

"You wore the dress!" Olivia exclaimed, putting her own gloved hands up to her face. The gown Marina wore had been a gift from her sister, one which matched the one Olivia herself had on. "And it looks splendid!" Olivia's hands reached out for Marina's, and they held each other for a moment, taking the other in.

When Phillip had first met them, he thought that Marina and Olivia could nearly be twins, but now that he looked at Olivia a bit more, he could see that she favored her father. Her hair was not the same shade of gold as Marina's—a bit lighter and ashier. Her eyes did not shine as brightly. And her features were sharper. They were both beautiful but each in their own way, and no one, he thought, before he could stop the thought from rising unbidden in his mind, was as beautiful as his wife.

The three of them arrived at the ball together, but Olivia was whisked away almost immediately to dance with one of her many suitors. Marina and Phillip, linked at the arm, took a slow, tepid turn about the room together. Neither of them were the pleasantries sort, so it was easier for them to bask in the company of each other than to pretend to enjoy small talk with the other guests at the party.

"Tell me what you think of Olivia's prospects," Phillip said quietly.

"Each of them individually or as a whole?"

"As a whole and then perhaps, your least and best favorite."

Marina smiled, chuckling lightly behind a closed mouth. "I think that Olivia has done quite well for herself. She could have her pick of the most eligible men in the country, including the Viscount."

Phillip raised his eyebrows. "The Viscount? Lord Baker?" he asked, his tone hushed just in case others were attempting to eavesdrop.

"The Viscount," Marina repeated warmly. He could hear an embellishment of pride in her voice.

"He is your first favorite, I take it."

"He is. Least of all for his title. Look there. He is anxiously waiting for her to finish dancing with her current partner, so he can ask her for the next dance. He does not dance with anyone else."

Phillip's gaze followed the direction Marina indicated with a flicker of her eyes and saw the Viscount Thomas Baker standing at the very edge of the dance floor, his eyes locked on Olivia.

"So, he has made up his mind," Phillip murmured, knowingly. He had watched Marina the same way while they were engaged. He knew without a doubt that the Viscount was already planning to propose.

"Do you really think?" Marina asked, her voice edged with excitement.

"I know for a fact," he asserted with confidence.

"What do you think of him, then, Your Grace? Surely the two of you cross paths in parliament."

Phillip nodded. "We do, on occasion, but I am afraid that I am a disappointment to you, my dear. I do not know him as well as I ought to. He is young and a bit timid. He's often overpowered in meetings by stronger voices. When he does speak up, he is…ah, intelligent but not always realistic."

Marina hummed as she thought about this. "You are right. You have disappointed me. I am afraid that this information does not bear much weight in the matter of whether or not he will make a fine husband."

"What do you think of his prospects as a husband?"

Marina watched the Viscount carefully as the quartet that played ended, and Olivia bowed her head to her first dance partner. She smiled when Olivia immediately turned to look for Lord Baker, but he waited a hair too long for her. Another prospective partner approached her long before he had the chance. Marina frowned, and Phillip seemed amused.

"He must first become one," she muttered, clearly disapproving of his timidness. "But I do think that Olivia is quite taken with him. I think that she would do well with someone whose disposition is quieter than hers."

Phillip bit back his laughter. Marina was right though he thought she perhaps loved her sister too much to see exactly how right she was. "And your least favorite? Who is he."

Marina gave Phillip a sideways glance. "Should you really like to know?"

"Of course."

"There." She pointed again with her eyes, and Phillip found the figure she spoke of—the same man Olivia had just finished dancing with. He recognized him as the son of a lord but could not recall his name or title.

"Lord Bannerman. His background is well enough, but he is courting a fair many ladies of the ton right now."

"A fair many?"

"Indeed."

"How unseemly."

Marina hid her giggle behind her fan, but Phillip caught the playful glimmer in her eyes as she looked toward him. "Precisely."

"What does Olivia think of him?"

Marina chuckled. "She does not."

"How unfortunate for Lord Bannerman. Who is it she dances with at present?"

Marina smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I have never seen him before. He is a soldier, but he must come from a family of some wealth if she accepted his invitation to dance."

"A rejection this early in the evening would keep her from dancing very much if at all," Phillip mused. "She said yes to him so that she might dance with the Viscount, yes?"

Marina seemed pleased. "You've been listening well, Your Grace. Yes, she likely said yes because she wants to dance with the Viscount, but if she had accepted the dance and he was of poor background or parentage, then she might also have encouraged others of his stature to rush to fill her dance card before the Viscount had the chance."

"Ah, yes. I see."

"Ideally, the Viscount would have asked her first. Afterward, it would be a bit of a social faux pas for anyone else to ask her to dance unless he chose another dance partner as the highest-ranking man here."

"Marina Hayward, you are an expert at all things society and courting. How have you come across such vast knowledge?"

"Years of clever observation, Your Grace."

"Shall we buy a schoolhouse and have the young ladies register to study under your tutelage? Surely, this business of marriage and scandal sheets would run much more smoothly with you at the helm."

"If I were orchestrating it perfectly, then what tomfoolery would we have to laugh at while we attend these functions?" she giggled. "No, let them learn for themselves and pass the knowledge on to their daughters."

The mention of daughters stuck something in Phillip. Watching Marina guide Olivia through this harrowing time in her life reminded him that he would one day watch her do the same for Emily. Perhaps, he thought, he would one day watch her do the same for a daughter of their own. The thought caught him off guard—it was the first time he had thought of having a family with Marina. He pushed the idea aside, convinced that it was merely a byproduct of watching her engage with her family. After all, he had resigned not to have any children.

He would not put himself in a position to make the same mistakes his father had. And anyway, Marina would not want to be pulled away from her siblings anytime soon, and by the time Emily and Nicholas were grown, surely, she would not want children of her own. No, Phillip would pass his title on to Nicholas or a nephew when he passed. There was no need to sire an heir.

"Is Miss Harrington in attendance tonight?" Phillip asked, mildly, as they made a second lap around the room.

"She is not."

"Why is that?"

"Kathrin never attends the last ball of the season. She prefers to hear or read about it in the morning, and she and her brother have a tradition of going away for the off-season when they are able. She likely spent the day preparing for their trip and wanted to rest."

They continued like this for the first few dances of the evening, speaking to one another in confidence about their family and friends. Phillip was even able to point out one or two of his old classmates to Marina and divulge some of their secrets. She laughed, and he delighted in seeing her face light up because of him. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Olivia came and fetched Marina, and the Haywards parted ways.

Phillip watched Olivia and Marina walk away, their heads pressed together in rapid conversation before he wandered away to find a drink. His eyes sought a clock, and he realized that it was rather late to be seeking out food and drink for the first time. Quite a bit more time had passed while he and his wife spoke to one another than he had expected. He glanced back in the direction she had gone, hoping that she would return soon, so he might remind her to stop for a moment and refuel.

He did find a beverage and some food and found his way to a seat on the edge of the ballroom. He ate and drank while he watched the young couples dance together, and he thought of Marina. He did so hope that he could coax her out to the dance floor for at least one song once she returned.

"Your Grace!"

Phillip's eyes rose to look upon a young woman, closer to Olivia's age than Marina's, with dark, russet hair and eyes as blue as a clear lake.